“Linsanity! Linsanity! Linsanity!” You may have heard many people yelling over the past week. But, whom are they talking about? Jeremy Lin? Who is that? He’s the most victorious underdog story in the history of forever. Lin is also currently a point guard for New York Knicks. Born to Taiwanese parents, he is the first American of Taiwanese to be on the NBA. (You may think Yao Ming, but Ming is a Chinese citizen; Jeremy was born in Los Angeles, and played his high school ball in Palo Alto).

Early Life Jeremy Lin was born on August 23, 1988 (age 23) in Los Angeles, California to two immigrants from Taiwan. He grew up in Palo Alto, California, in a strong Christian Family. In his senior high school year (2005-2006), Lin captained Palo Alto High School and set many records. He, himself was named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year, ending his high school years with an average 15.1 points, 7.1 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 steals. Applying to Stanford University was Lin’s dream. He sent his resume and a DVD of highlights of his high school basketball career- expecting an admission and a scholarship from his dream school. However, Harvard and Brown were the only Universities that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball team. Jeremy was very disappointed, yet he never gave up and went to Harvard. In his senior year at Harvard, Lin averaged high scores and was one of the 11 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award (given to the top collegiate male basketball point guard annually.)

Professional Career On July 21, 2010, Jeremy Lin signed a two-year deal with his hometown Warriors, his favorite team growing up. Reports noted that the deal would include a first-year salary of close to $500,000. He became the first American of Chinese/ Taiwanese decent to play in the NBA. In 2011, he finished his rookie NBA season averaging 2.6 points on 36.9 percent shooting in 29 games. During the 2011 NBA lockout, Jeremy Lin played a few games for the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) club in Guangzhou, China. The Shanghai Sharks president and former NBA star Yao Ming tried, unsuccessfully, to sign Lin for the upcoming CBA season. Lin declined, stating it would cause a conflict with his current contract with the Warriors. As soon as the 2011 NBA lockout was over, the Warriors announced they were freeing up salary cap space, which would raise Lin’s annual salary to $800,000 that would have become fully guaranteed on February 10, 2012.

New York Knicks On December 27, 2011, the New York Knicks claimed Lin off waivers to be a backup behind their current guards, Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby. The 23 year old, Jeremy Lin has been playing phenomenally; winning seven games in a row with an average of 23.5 points and over 8 assists every game (as of Feb. 16). That’s the best average for any player in their first five starts in NBA history, according to ESPN. He even outscored the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant on February 10, 2012. Lin scored a new career-high 38 points and 7 assists, while Bryant scored 34 points. The Associated Press called Lin “The most surprising story in the NBA.” Time.com wrote an article titled, “It’s Official: Linsanity Is for Real.” He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline “Against All Odds.” Lin’s miraculous story was also on the front-page of many Taipei newspapers. In addition, Jeremy Lin’s number on the Knicks, #17 has made the Knicks’ Team hastened; their online store increased more than 3000%. Lin credits his success to playing without pressure. “I have surrendered that to God. I am not in a battle with what everybody else thinks anymore,” Lin said.

Jeremy Lin is not only an extraordinary, substantial basketball player; he is also an evangelical Christian who was a leader in Harvard’s Asian American Christian Fellowship during his time there. He is a devoted Christian who one day would like to be a pastor who can head-up non-profit organizations, either home or internationally. Lin has been volunteering and donating to underprivileged children. Lin has two brothers, Joseph, his younger brother who plays basketball for Hamilton College and his older brother who is currently a dental student at New York University. Simply said, Jeremy Lin is the role model for our future generation.